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← Home-Start Worldwide

2021-12-31-accounts

Home-Start Worldwide

Annual Report and Accounts 2021

www.homestartworldwide.org info@homestartworldwide.org

Home-Start Worldwide 63/66 Hatton Garden Fifth Floor Suite 23 London EC1N 8LE United Kingdom

Home-Start Worldwide, a company Limited by Guarantee, company number 07371168

Registered charity in England and Wales number 1139678

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Reference and Administrative Information

Company number 07371168 (England and Wales) 07371168 (England and Wales) 07371168 (England and Wales)
Charity number 1139678 (England and Wales)
Registered office 63/66 Hatton Garden, Fifth Floor Suite 23, London, EC1N 8LE
Trustees The Trustees, who are also directors under company law, were:
Sheena Stewart Chair
Tony Philip Treasurer, appointed September 2021
Yukie Yamada*
Anthonius G. Kragten*
Joan van Niekerk
Oliver Hickson
Cornelia de Bruijn
*Indicates a member representative
CEO Kirpal Dhadda
Bankers National Westminster Bank
Sloane Square Branch
Unit 5, The Willett Building
2 Sloane Gardens
London
SW1W 8DL
Independent examiner Sian Lewis ACA
8 Coldbath Square
London
EC1R 5HL

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Members

The Members of Home-Start Worldwide were as follows:

Accredited Members:

Home-Start National Australia Domo vzw, Belgium Home-Start Czech Republic Home-Start Familiekontakt, Denmark Association Paseo, France Home-Start Hellas, Greece Otthon Segitunk Alapitvany, Hungary Home-Start Blanchardstown, Ireland Home-Start Japan Foundation for Social Welfare Services, Malta Humanitas, The Netherlands Home-Start Familiekontakten, Norway Empowering Children Foundation, Poland Premiers Pas Quebec, Canada Fundatia Adina Stiftelsen, Romania Home-Start South Africa Home-Start Uganda Home-Start UK

Associate Members:

Home-Start Giriwanyu A.S.B.L, Burundi Home-Start Tanzania Home-Start Lanka, Sri Lanka Home-Start Zambia

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Contents Page

Report of the Trustees
Home-Start Worldwide Overview 5
Home-Start Services 6
Vision, Mission and Values 7
Our Social Development Goals 8
2021 Overview 9
The HSW Office 9
Learning and Development 10
The Strategic Plan 2022-2024 11
Member Update 12
Structure, Governance and Management 15
Financial Review 18
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities 19
Report of the Independent Examiner 21
Statement of Financial Activities 22
Balance Sheet 23
Notes to the Accounts 24

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Report of the trustees for the year ending 31 December 2021

The Trustees present their Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021. The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in Note 1 on page 24 and comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities.

Home-Start Overview

Home-Start is a leading charity in parental support and early years development, an area increasingly recognised for its crucial importance to a child’s life-chances. It also promotes volunteering. First launched in the UK in 1973 it is now established in 22 countries, on all five continents of the world.

Home-Start provides support and friendship to families with at least one pre-school child, through regular home-visiting, free of charge, by trained volunteers, who are usually parents themselves. The families may face a variety of problems, but the objective is to help parents enhance their capacity, grow in confidence, strengthen their relationships with their children and widen their links with their community.

The network is profoundly decentralized, and local community based, and there is extensive work with partners. The simple formula is universally applicable. Prevention is a consistent theme. There is a clear belief that a happy childhood allows the young to develop their full potential.

In 2021, 502 local Home-Start schemes and 19,000 trained volunteers supported 37,000 families and 73,000 children, across the 22 countries, and this despite the problems of lockdown.

Some of the longest established members have an impressive footprint. The Netherlands works in 160 of the 352 municipalities in the country. In 2019, Home-Start UK estimated that they work in 71% of the Local Authority areas in the UK. On a per capita basis, the 38 schemes in Norway have an even higher national footprint.

There has been extensive academic evidence. In 2014, based on research by the University of Amsterdam, Home-Start was rated ‘’best practice’’ for ‘’evidence of effectiveness, transferability, and enduring impact’’ by the EU-EPIC Platform for Investing in Children. To this day, we remain one of only two organisations to be assessed as best practice amongst the 76 on the EPIC list.

First launched in 1999, Home-Start Worldwide oversees and coordinates the international network. HomeStart Worldwide licenses and approves member countries, defines core principles and strategy, sets and leads the Quality Assurance audit and sets the Safeguarding standards which all members must respect. Home-Start UK is an honorary member

While each country is represented as a Member, Home-Start Worldwide has no legal or financial responsibility for the members themselves, except where we might, exceptionally, extend a guarantee. However, members share a mission to facilitate the growth, development and sustainability of the HomeStart support service, acting together to achieve it.

With the reopening of an HSW office in 2020, there will be greater central support with learning and development, ensuring member success transfer, promoting the Home-Start name and expanding the global footprint. There was great progress this year in mapping this out.

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Home-Start Services

Volunteer home-visiting of families with young children is always the primary activity and most support is offered in that context. All schemes are totally community -based, often reporting to a local board, with deep community links.

All core work is delivered by volunteers after considerable basic training and a careful matching with families. The pattern is a weekly visit for two or three hours, where the volunteer calls alone. However, all schemes are professional managed, by a qualified, paid director, to ensure volunteer guidance and support, liaison with municipal services, and development of the service needs.

Family needs and problems differ widely. and the impact is at two levels. Volunteers will guide families with their immediate worries, be they practical or emotional. But the ultimate focus is ensuring that they fully support their children.

Many parents self-refer, or are referred by local agencies, but they must all accept the visits. Volunteers must be flexible and responsive to family needs, show understanding and empathy and be non-judgemental. Unless a child’s safety is at risk, all information stays strictly confidential. Visits vary from country to country but the average length of support by a volunteer for a family is usually from 6 to 12 months depending on the severity of the problem.

There is increasing focus on particular groups of parents: single parents, fathers and even grandparents. Uganda saw a sharp rise in teenage pregnancies after lockdown. The work with municipalities in Norway has brought them extensive experience with immigrants. Denmark has worked a lot with the disability.

Japan developed perinatal counselling due to the absence of social support and are now much in demand by first-time families. Half the children they supported in 2021 were under 12 months. In 2020, the Netherlands named Home-Start to the national coalition, Promising Start, to serve as national ambassadors for the role of volunteers and NGOs for the First 1000 Days.

Many Home-Start Schemes run play groups to encourage parent- child socialization. They can also arrange outings and parties. Other additional services may depend on an expert in the local team, a critical local need or funding for a particular project. Some members team up with a local charity to offer specialized help, like the advice on breastfeeding in Quebec.

The Czech Republic is, exceptionally, licensed by the social services to support families at higher risk. They also run professional Learning through Play at their centre. South Africa offers PET parent effectiveness courses and child bereavement counselling for those orphaned by HIV.

There is increasing attention to literacy and learning. Champlain, Quebec teaches parents on language development from a very early age. Denmark has a library programme. There is extensive preparation for school, if only in ensuring that children attend playgroups to learn to socialize with their peers. Tanzania ran a small school half- day, while the mothers earned a living at the market.

There has also been research on the benefits to the Home-Start volunteers themselves, where building skills and confidence, and contributing to the community, has been identified as a route to work. This is reinforced by the high quality of the Home-Start training, the ongoing coordinator support, the great group spirit at the regular volunteer meetings and the evident impact on families. They are also widely recognized on social media and through the community honours they receive

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Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

Home-Start Worldwide wants to see a world where vulnerable families receive the help which they need to give their children a safe and healthy start in life.

Mission

To help families and children by facilitating the growth, development and sustainability of the Home-Start family support service worldwide.

Values

Members commit to the Vision and Values set down in the HSW Members’ Charter, the HSW Operating Principles and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. All Members strongly align with the Universal Call to Action and the UN Goals that no man should be left behind. They are fully committed to the Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults.

Purpose

The basic remit covers the following areas

Core Values – HSW Members’ Charter

The Charter requires the respect of the following values

Standards of Operation

To enforce the values above members are expected to

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The 2030 UN Social Development Goals

The SDG goals are a universal language to which we all increasingly refer to evidence our work and impact. They aptly convey both the focus of our work and how we deliver the services.

All members are committed to ending poverty (SDG1) and reducing inequality (SDG10). Individual members may promote a range of goals in the context of specific projects, from Resilient Cities (SDG11) to Gender Equality (SDG5). However, all have the following key objectives:

While SDG 4.2 is clearly the ultimate goal, this must be tackled from several angles, of which ending all forms of violence is of course the first priority.

SDGs 1 and 3 have been central to support in less advantaged communities, focused on basic health and nutrition and helping parents earn a minimal wage. However, lockdown has prompted increasing debate on general mental health and wellbeing. Parental isolation can be a major issue. Some families struggle with disabilities.

It is critical to collaborate to meet the Goals amongst the private, public and no- profit sectors. SDG 17 Partnerships is a major strength, through the focus on volunteering and local community involvement, our extensive NGO partners and the network we form across the world... We work extensively with municipalities and the local socials services, or on one-off government sponsored projects. NGO partner organizations will themselves sponsor Home-Start schemes or help deliver specialized services. The work with volunteers defines us.

These partnerships are also key to the growing international commitment to the importance of ECD, and the role of home-visiting in promoting it. Where much if the work is informal, especially for the first 1000 days, NGOs have real role in supporting families directly, liaising with the social services, helping build the necessary evidence with university research teams.

One small Danish scheme, unprompted, posted to social media about their pride in meeting SDG17 through their membership of the Home-Start network.

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2021 Overview

This was a formative year, following the appointment of an HSW CEO in September 2020. The focus was on building the HSW Office and developing a Strategic Plan to map the future role of the office/

There was major progress on communications, where we launched the first HSW social media presence and regular member communications meetings. A fundraiser was hired by September 2021, backed by generous three -year funding and the CEO funding was raised to two days a week.

While the triennial conference was cancelled for yet another year, a two-day session was held online. We were honoured that this was opened by Maria Colero Preca, Emeritus President of Malta and Current President of Eurochild. It met with enthusiastic response.

This also marked a turnaround for most HSW members from the 2020 Covid setbacks. A story of immense creativity and resilience, helped, not least, by their local community positioning and unfailing volunteer commitment. This also developed new angles to the services they provide.

We received extensive member support despite their distractions with lockdown. They actively participated in the development of the Strategic Plan and the potential office role. Home-Start Hellas led a member review of the HSW Values and Principles. The Chair of Home-Start Hungary offered to lead the new member Research Committee.

While the pandemic put pay to new member interest, Home-Start Domo, Belgium. became a fully accredited member in September 2021. Their 11 local schemes and their Brussels partner served 300 families in 2021.

The HSW Office

The overriding 2021 HSW objective was to launch an HSW office to better drive the development of the network and lay down the office work plan for the next three years.

This met with spectacular progress thanks to the foresight and generosity of the Joffe Charitable Trust, who provided £15,000 of critical funding, for 26 weeks, from April 1[st] , to raise the CEO cover to two days, help piece the office together and develop the Strategic Plan.

A Communications Consultant was secured in May 2021, through open competition, to work six hours a week to develop the HSW social media presence. This considerably raised our profile.

A key hire was the appointment of a Strategy Consultant in early June to help test ideas for the Plan. She ran two independent meetings to secure member feedback, tested the core objectives and wrote a first draft of the strategy. This allowed us to define a 10- year vision and submit the 2022-2024 Strategic Plan before year-end.

By June, there was a major breakthrough in securing three-year funding from The Alchemy Foundation, totalling £37,500, for a dedicated HSW Fundraiser for two days a week. This position was also filled by open recruitment with the donor participating in the interviews. It was followed by the renewal of the £12,000 grant from the Tedworth Charitable Trust which had supported the CEO salary and permitted this to continue until 2021 year-end.

The office also secured pro bono support from a digital charity - CITA, to define and launch critical office systems. CITA connected HSW to Craig Whelan of Grey Triangle in establishing a digital network that will

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grow with the organisation. Craig has given his time not only in developing the digital strategy but also in helping HSW move to the cloud. His expertise has been invaluable for the Board and has been elected to join the trustee board.

The Board also committed to help where they could. This included the development of a Board Fundraising and Communications Committee, led by a specialist Trustee, who worked extensively with the office and helped develop key policies.

While a central HSW office had existed for the first 10 years of operation, this was largely a clean slate as no staff or relationships, systems or policies remained.

A part-time team can be challenged by a lack of effective data and gaps in operations policies, and processes. Here they must also track and follow 22 members worldwide across considerable language barriers. Further, Member needs were changing due to the impact of lockdown. We were fortunate to have the services of a CEO with extensive Home-Start experience and UK fundraising experience.

By September there was a cohesive office team, with job descriptions in place, and a very clear vison for the future. The Communications lead was retained, funded from HSW reserves. We also covered a second day for the CEO from September 2021. HSW joined the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and had signed with the Fundraising Regulator. More importantly, we had secured invaluable help from three prominent funders, and brought the breakthrough in gross income so critical to evidence effective capacity.

Learning and Development

The online Conference “Home-Start Worldwide Practice in a Time of Change” was held for two days in November 2021 with full member participation. Conference builds member cohesion but also serves as the exchange of best practice and further coordinator training.

HE Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Eurochild and Emeritus President of Malta honoured us as an opening speaker. She emphasised the need for awareness and adaptation to the current challenges that children face and the importance of maternal mental health as a building block for stable happy families.

Both Home-Start Worldwide and Home-Start Malta have long been members of Eurochild, who do quite exceptional work at EU level and for the promotion of NGOs.

The conference sessions included speakers from eight member countries. Topics ranged from the changes brought by the pandemic to presentations of exception services. The latter included the focus on child language development in Champlain, Quebec, which was delivered digitally during lockdown.

Conferences are always well received, and the online version was no exception. It allows members to showcase their best and connect directly with other teams Members included pictures of the final farewell photo not only on social media but also in-their Annual Reports.

During the year, the board ran member webinars on better promoting research at local level, and Parent Effectiveness training.

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The 2022-2024 Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan is based on a 10 -year vision to double the international footprint and connect more HomeStarts globally to promote their work and grow the number of families supported. There are many clear ways how this can be helped through greater added value from the centre.

The Strategic Plan 2022-24 lays the foundations for these ambitious goals by mapping the office role and key priorities. It was developed with full awareness of the change in pace, responsibilities and commitment that his would all entail until the office capacity builds up.

The priorities for the first three years were defined as follows and received full member support:

  1. Strengthen network membership to support more families and children

  2. Raise awareness and promote the impact of Home-Start support globally

  3. Build an effective and sustainable HSW organisation

The Plan objectives were attributed between three different groups pending the further development of the office:

Objective A: Strengthen Network Membership

The office will be primarily focused on member promotion and development, and better international coordination of the Home-Start intervention. This all with the objective of growing the number of families supported, the positive outcomes for their children, and the number of new volunteers across the world.

The goals include harnessing opportunities to benefit members and contribute our experience, scaling up strategies and success transfer, helping develop partnerships, piloting new services and developing training where needed. HSW can help access international projects, ensure quick wins and lower costs.

While Member needs will vary, all can benefit from efforts to build the evidence, better define impact, harness digital solutions for data collection and better monitoring and evaluation of services. New members need stronger mentoring as they launch. Some Members need help with organizational effectiveness or fundraising support.

A major effort will be made in updating training and ensuring adequate staff and board induction. There are plans to develop regional leadership, especially to strengthen support in Africa. Members should better promote their skills in recruiting and training volunteers.

Objective B: Communications

The promotion of the Home-Start name, role and presence and formed a separate section of the strategy. While this is central to the HSW needs, it is also critical at local level, not only to attracting funding but also to forming partnerships, finding volunteers, attracting talent.

Decentralization can dilute a message at national and international level. Accordingly. a large part of the new Plan was focused on ensuring professional communications across all Home-Start work and effectively reaching out to stakeholders.

The key objectives identified were to better standardize branding, pool and share materials. promote wider local advocacy and encouraging more local media contact. Special initiatives include better connecting volunteers across the network, especially those from countries where there is less volunteering, and developing marketing materials and resource libraries for member use.

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There was considerable progress on the groundwork in 2021. This included securing specialist communications skills part-time, the launch of HSW on three social media channels and some updates to the website. A member group was formed to share communications best practice and to encourage members to build more. HSW began monthly newsletters to keep all members in touch and to better share best practice.

The Board established a distinct Fundraising and Communications Committee, chaired by a Trustee who is expert in these fields. He will be actively engaged with the office on policy development and liaison with member groups.

Objective C: Building an Effective Organization

The Board continues strong oversight for the duration of the Plan, to ensure sustainable HSW funding, a strong office infrastructure, the maintenance of Home-Start standards in member work and sponsoring member cooperation.

The special plan objectives are to ensure the effective registration of the trade mark, promote HSW research and work more closely with regional and international organizations to help promote the name. The Member Research Committee was launched this year. The Board can also help facilitate regional cooperation and member support Trustee specialists can complement office skills. The 2022 triennial conference will also be board-led.

While the Plan may appear ambitious, the first 1000 days, and home -visiting, are increasingly in focus internationally. There is thus every opportunity to contribute and share the Home-Start skills, and better promote volunteering to the benefit of all HSW Members.

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Member Update

This was critical year to assess the impact of the pandemic. The Home-Start response was truly inspiring, and that at every level, from scheme staff to the trained volunteers. They showed incredible commitment to families.

This success is reflected in the 2021 Data. There was a marked upturn from 2020 in the number of families covered and volunteers recruited and trained. Not quite to pre-pandemic levels but not far off. Several members received national commendations for the excellence of their work.

While a few schemes had suspended activity, there were only two outright closures worldwide: the Czech Republic lost one of their five schemes due to a loss of government funding and the Quebec national office laid off all staff due to the protracted lockdown in Canada.

The turnaround was led by the larger members with adequate resources to fund the switch to online training and family contact. Digital exclusion proved a major issue for some of the smaller schemes. But generous local community support and a rapid staff response were hallmarks throughout. Communities generously provided food parcels or children’s presents for families, or made unsolicited donations to schemes.

The pandemic took an emotional toll and was a stressful time, especially with vulnerable families. It was important to ensure wellbeing. There were health risks with older volunteers and some have been reluctant to re-engage. Digital competence and insufficient equipment affected both volunteers and families alike. Australia hired three digital specialists in the Melbourne office and set up a laptop lending library. The Czech Republic funded phone cards,

On the other hand, some countries saw unprecedented interest in virtual volunteering. People felt an

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increased sense of duty, they had more time available and a desperate need for greater social interaction. Denmark faced more enquiries than they could possibly train online and volunteer numbers rose by 100.in a lockdown year.

While there has been universal agreement that face to face is essential to supporting families, there were some undoubted longer-term benefits. Members markedly increased their social media presence. Some forms of online training will undoubtedly continue.

Members were soon assessing the impact of lockdown, and the issues to be addressed in the future. Lockdown undoubtedly prompted the greater involvement of fathers. It also saw an increase in parental loneliness, their children’s lack of socialization, an increase in child violence at home. HSUK received a 6 month grant from the Government’s lockdown Loneliness Fund and gave all of it to BAME families, but not all countries gave support. Uganda saw a marked increase in teenage pregnancies from lockdown, an issue which they had never had to face before.

But much of the success was due to the exceptional Home-Start staff commitment in understanding the changing needs, ensuring continued support and providing online stimulation for children. The challenge was at every level, including respecting changing regulations, watching the health of older volunteers, ensuring sufficient staff, facing the problems of recruiting and matching families digitally and monitoring developments online. Many coordinators found themselves helping families when a volunteer was not available. This notwithstanding, Norway launched four new schemes in the year. A truly commendable effort.

Member Achievements

Home-Start Champlain, Quebec, made their first family visit in October 1991 Home-Start Hungary celebrated their 20[th] Anniversary in June 2021 Home-Start Benoni, South Africa marked 20 years in 2021

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Structure, Governance and Management

Home-Start Worldwide is a charity registered with the Charities Commission in England and Wales, Charity Number 1139678. It is also a company limited by guarantee, incorporated under the Companies Act 2006 as a private company in England & Wales, Company Number 07371168.

The company was incorporated on 9 September 2010 and registered with the Charities Commission on 4 January 2011. At that time the assets of Home-Start International (HSI) (charity number 1076991) were transferred to Home-Start Worldwide.

In late 2017, membership of Home-Start Worldwide was extended to a representative of each of the countries where Home-Start operates, usually the national office, subject to terms set down in the Home-Start Worldwide Members’ Charter. Member Associations guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 in the event of a winding down.

At 31 December 2021 there were 22 Member Associations. Members become fully accredited, with the right to vote, provided they are structured as independent, locally-registered voluntary organisations and meet Quality Assurance standards. Associate members have a maximum 3 years to become accredited. All Members Organizations sign a Statement of Acceptance of the Terms of the Members’ Charter.

Membership allows Home-Start countries to help develop and share the standards of practice they must follow and to raise their profile though their association with a worldwide group. They are asked to subscribe to the Core HSW Principles and HSW Child Protection and Safeguarding Standards. Otherwise, they retain complete control of their local finances and scheme management. and none have a beneficial interest in the Charity.

The Board of Trustees assumes the strategic direction and leadership of the Charity subject to the terms of the Members Charter. However, the Charter confers significant responsibility on the Members to participate in projects, policy development and decision making.

At year-end 2021, there were 18 HSW Accredited members and 4 Associate Members. In 2020, Members approved exceptional 12-month extensions in their associated status to three of the four Associates due to the problems they had faced with lockdown.

Trustee Composition and Recruitment

The Articles of Association envisage a board of a maximum 15 people. These may include up to 6 Member Representatives and 6 Independent Experts provided this works in proportion. This ensures a continuing focus on the very direct needs of the network. The HSW Member’s Charter develops the board role in detail.

The board seeks diversity in terms of trustee profile, skills and location. International experience is important, given the scope of the work. Much of the basic diversity is brought by the Member Representatives, but they can also bring special skills. The Trustees serve for three years, after which they may be put forward for reappointment for a second term and, in exceptional circumstances, for a third.

The Board composition took a hit in lockdown. Two Member Representative Trustees resigned in mid- 2020, due to the challenges they faced at home. They were also the youngest trustees. A new Treasurer was successfully recruited in 2021, and the Member Representative from Japan was elected to a second term, but there was no new member interest. Accordingly, there were just 7 Trustees at year end 2021, and the age range had narrowed from 30 to 20 years.

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This notwithstanding, there were broad skills and diversity on the Board, including Trustees based in Asia, Africa and Western Europe, as well as two in the UK, and an equal gender balance. Moreover, Trustees boasted 36 years of Home-Start experience between them, at board or scheme level, with a further 16 years for the CEO.

Board experts included a child violence expert, a former President of ISPCAN, a communications and fundraising expert with extensive UK government experience, and a former international banker, with a UK governance qualification. The Treasurer spent his career with a leading MNE, including several years in Africa, plus long leadership of a social enterprise in Ghana.

One Member Representative has led Home-Start Japan, the largest and fastest-growing HSW member, almost since inception in 2009. The second spent his career with the Municipality of Rotterdam, including a time as Head of Youth Affairs. He currently leads on Quality Assurance across the 80 Home-Start schemes in the Netherlands.

Member Representatives are nominated by the Home-Start national associations. Expert roles will normally be advertised. All are then subject to interview and assessment. While recruitment is led by the Board Nominations Committee, Trustee appointments and resignations are finally approved by Members at the AGM. All Trustees sign to commit to the Home-Start Worldwide Child Protection Policy and sign the Register of Interests. The recruitment of Member Representatives and younger Trustees was set as a priority for 2022.

Trustee Meetings

There were four full meetings and one Exceptional Meeting in 2021. Meetings are held online due to the international composition of the board. Attendance was consistent all year. Board work was led by three main board committees, namely Nominations, Membership, Fundraising and Communications. The Board working groups hold personal meetings as required but usually work online.

Fundraising

The funding and staffing of a fundraising role was the key office focus this year. The money raised ensures consistent specialist cover for the next two years, for at least two full days a week. HSW has signed to the fundraising regulator and the ICO and joined the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. However, all funding was from Trusts and Foundations pending the development of adequate systems to support retail work. The Office helped two Members develop proposals, but none resulted in a commitment or guarantee from HSW. No funding was received from overseas. and no complaints were received in the year.

Finance Policies and Reserves

HSW has a simple structure. There are no trading subsidiaries. In 2021, the financial management of the Office was handled by the Board Treasurer, with the HSW CEO as a second signatory. A new Office Finance Policy was circulated by year-end. The HSW Investment Policy is reviewed annually, in line with the latest business risk assessment. All assets have so far been held in cash, with due regard to the counterparty risk. Given the increased office activity and the new hires planned, the Board increased the minimum reserve requirement from 3 months to 6 months of planned outgoings. In addition, considerable reserves were held over to fund the 2022 Malta conference.

Member Quality Assurance

There is a strong commitment to quality assurance throughout the Home-Start network and the standards are regularly updated. This is essential to ensuring the standards which underlie the family support and fundamental to the Home-Start structure Meeting and maintaining quality standards is the key condition for Home-Start Worldwide membership and the right to use the Home-Start name. The Charter requires that Members comply with the requirements, apply Quality Assurance to local schemes, participate in all Home-

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Start Worldwide Quality Assurance Reviews and meet any corrections identified. Accredited Members are audited every 3 years though a Quality Assurance evaluation. The next triennial audit is scheduled for end 2022. Associate Members are reviewed annually and only become Accredited Members once they pass QA.

Quality Assurance

Accredited Members are audited every 3 years though a Quality Assurance evaluation. Meeting Quality Assurance is the key condition for Home-Start Worldwide Membership and the right to use the Home-Start name. The last triennial audit of Accredited Schemes took place in 2019.and will Committee on Values and Principals included a QA specialist team member and their conclusions includes recommendations for QA changes.

Safeguarding and DBS checks

Child protection is of primary importance to Home-Start schemes, National Offices and Home-Start Worldwide, due to the work at home with parents, children and vulnerable persons. While many countries set high standards, all HSW Members are required to sign the Home-Start Worldwide Child and Vulnerable Persons Safeguarding and Protection Policy and ensure that all schemes at minimum meet these standards. DBS checks or similar police checks are required of all persons associated with Home-Start. As of year-end 2021, DBS checks were held on the HSW CEO and the two UK -based Trustees. Police checks were held on all other Trustees except Japan, where there is no such process. However, the Japanese Trustee has signed the Safeguarding Policy, she acts as the Home-Start National coordinator in Japan and she did not travel to the UK in 2020. The importance of covering online risks was identified as a priority during lockdown and tabled for addition to the Policy in 2022.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

These values have long been central to the HSW Principles. They feature in the Members Charter, to which each member commit in writing. QA requires written policies to uphold the standards.at work. Further, the HSW model, which ensures local leadership and staffing, means real, effective respect of core diversity. Many standards are enshrined in UN Principles to which most countries accede. However, we mist also respect the diversity of local communities and tough to maintain the dialogue so essential to our work.

Risk Management

The Home-Start Worldwide Trustees acknowledge their responsibility to identify, assess and manage risk. The Charity has a Risk Management Policy and maintains an active Risk Register to which all Trustees contribute. A Regulatory Update is circulated before each board meeting.

The Risk Register assesses the probability of meeting plan, any operational risks identified and potential reputational risks, to ensure that the charity is fit for purpose. It also guides investment and reserves, and increasingly the activity of the office.

With good specialist skills and a cautious office roll out, basic continuity has not been at risk. The increasing financial exposure is capably managed by strong Treasury leadership and core investment policies are in place.

Continued active board participation is required for the duration of the next strategic plan with but this should gradually reduce as office raises. There has been extensive key man exposure, but the office presence will gradually defray that. The new challenge is to build office policies and control systems as operations continue to expand.

The spirit and commitment of members, and strong ethical standards, ensures limited reputational risk, although this is always tracked, especially with management turnover at office level.. The Safeguarding Policy extends this risk culture to members.

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The 2021 AGM

This meeting had been scheduled to be held physically during the HSW Malta conference. Where it could not be accommodated at the online meeting it was held in early 2022. The main issues covered the approval of the revision of the Principles, and the future of Associate Members who had failed to meet accreditation within the limits set down. This led to the sad goodbyes to Sri Lanka until the organization can be restructured and their structuring of the membership had been scheduled to be held in person at the triennial conference, but where this finally had to be cancelled, the AGM was held online early in 2022.

How our Activities Deliver Public Benefit

The Trustees confirm that in exercising their powers, they have complied with the guidance on public benefit and that all activities are undertaken to further our charitable purpose for the public benefit. Although HomeStart Worldwide itself does not provide direct services to beneficiaries, we set minimum standards of practice for our member organisations worldwide. Such standards require that core services are provided free of charge and that they ensure respect of core principles including non-discrimination, equal opportunity, confidentiality and child protection.

Financial Review

The Statement of Financial Activities shows marked improvement in the financial strength of the company, along with a considerable growth in activity. Total income was £47,550 in 2021, up from, £13,999 in 2020, and there was and increase to £77,539 in funds carried forward by year end, due to funding commitments received.

Principal Funding Sources

Home-Start Worldwide has a continuing source of income from Member Fees, which are levied based on Member size, as detailed in the Members’ Charter. Otherwise, Trusts and Foundations were the principal source of funds in 2021. This was secured by the office, with support from a Board Committee.

The Tedworth Charitable Trust has long supported HSW. and immediately backed the CEO hire from September 2020. Then in April 2021 we were honoured to secure a critical six months’ funding from the Joffe Charitable Trust to help plan and set up the office. This was followed by a three- year commitment from The Alchemy Foundation.

Income

Member Fee income increased by £1,000 in 2021, due to the accession of Belgium. However, the large part on 2021 income was raised though the HSW office, where the income from donations and grants reached £34,000, all from high- profile names.

This increase in income comprised £15,000 in unrestricted funding from the Joffe CharitableTrust, to launch the development of an office, a renewal of the £12,000 Tedworth Charitable Trust funding to support the CEO, and a three-year commitment from The Alchemy Foundation to fund a dedicated HSW Fundraiser, of which £7,211 was disbursed before year- end.

Lockdown revealed some issues with member fees, where three members faced funding problems While member have the obligation to pay fees, and non- payment is fully reported, this led to a 15% shortfall. This reinforces the need to build long-term relations with a diversified set of donors.

Expenditure

Total expenditure rose by £27,458 in 2021. With the cancellation of the HSW conference, and no member

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training needs in 2021, this was focused on office activity. Salaries increased by £27,629 with a further £1500 spent on consultancy and £661 on IT. Governance costs were minimal as all communications was online and no Trustees billed training expenses. An effective management of expenses raised Net Income from £3,151 in 2020 to £9,244 in 2021.

Current Investment Overview

Reserves of £68,295 were brought forward from 2020 and had risen to £77,539 by year end, of which £68,490 was unrestricted. Of this, some £20,000 at least would be needed to fund Conference in 2022. Balances were held in cash and deposits throughout the year, with a maturity of three months or less and there was no foreign currency exposure.

The reserves were comparatively high with a one-man office. By year- end, the risks were mounting as office funding and staffing developed. Lockdown had prompted some shortfalls in member fees and restricted fundraising for conference. Office activity might mean the occasional guarantee of member funding or the training of new member staff. Accordingly, the Board opted for caution in the management of reserves until the office reaches full potential;

Investment Policy

The Home-Start Worldwide Investment Policy permits a wide range of investments and is reviewed annually by the Board. However, capital preservation and liquidity remain the major objectives. Should funding materially increase, the Investment policy will be reviewed.

The international work of the Charity sometime results in some foreign exchange exposure, especially in a Conference year. While the Articles are silent on foreign currency, the Board allows the Charity to both raise and disburse funds, and hold bank accounts in foreign currencies, where justified, provided that sovereign and currency risks have been thoroughly assessed.

Reserves Policy and Going Concern

The Trustees hold reserves in order to protect the continuity of the Charity’s work, manage fluctuations in income or provide capital to finance expansion. It is stated policy to ensure that the charity has sufficient reserves to meet six months’ operating expenditure, and reserves are reviewed at each Board meeting. Where reserves increased in a lockdown year, the Charity was clearly not much impacted by the pandemic. With limited office commitments, there was no risk to continuity in the period under review, nor for the year to follow.

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The Trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of company law, are responsible for preparing an annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:

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The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with applicable law and regulations. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking responsible steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Disclosure of Information to Independent Examiner

The Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime. So far as each trustee is aware, there is no relevant information, being information needed by the independent examiner in connection with preparing their report, of which the independent examiner is unaware, and each trustee has taken all steps that s/he ought to have taken to make her/himself aware of any relevant matters and to ensure that the company’s independent examiner is aware of such information. Such steps include making inquiries of other trustees and the independent examiner and other steps required by the trustees’ duty to exercise due care and skill.

Approval

This report was approved by the Trustees on September 26th 2022 and signed on their behalf by the Chair.

Sheena Stewart

Chair and Trustee/Director

Home-Start Worldwide

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Independent Examiner's Report To The Trustees of Home-Start Worldwide Year Ended 31 December 2021

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Home-Start Worldwide (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2021.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).

Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

Sian Lewis Independent Examiner Lewis & Co Chartered Accountants 8 Coldbath Square London EC1R 5HL

Dated: 26[th] September 2022

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Statement of Financial Activities For the year ended 31 December 2021

Note
Income:
Donations and grants
3
Income from charitable activities
4
Total incoming resources
Expenditure:
Costs of raising funds
5
Expenditure on charitable activities
6
Total expenditure
Net income (expenditure) and net
movement in funds for the year
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward at 1
January 2021
Total funds carried forward at 31
December 2021
16		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total Funds
Total Funds
2021
2021
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
14,839
19,211
34,050
1,499
13,500
-
13,500
12,500
28,339
19,211
47,550
13,999
2,830
4,188
7,018
-
18,447
12,841
31,288
10,848
21,277
17,029
38,306
10,848
7,062
2,182
9,244
3,151
61,428
6,867
68,295
65,144
68,490
9,049
77,539
68,295

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The notes on pages 24 to 29 form part of these financial statements.

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Balance Sheet

At 31 December 2021

Company number: 07371168

Note
Fixed assets
Current assets
9
Cash at bank
10
Sundry debtors
11
Current liabilities
Sundry creditors and accruals
12
Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities
The funds of the charity:
Unrestricted income funds
16
Restricted income funds
16
Total charity funds		 2021
2020
£
£
748
-
76,619
68,306
1,432
1,619
78,051
69,925
(1,260)
(1,630)
76,791
68,295
77,539
68,295
68,490
61,428
9,049
6,867
77,539
68,295

For the year ending 31 December 2021, the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions applicable to small companies subject to the small companies regime and in accordance with FRS 102 SORP.

Approved by the Trustees on 26[th] September 2022 and signed on their behalf.

Sheena Stewart Chair and Trustee Director

Tony Philip Treasurer and Trustee Director

The notes on pages 24 to 29 form part of these financial statements

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Notes to the accounts

1 Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation and uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

a) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the UK and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Home-Start Worldwide meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the Charity.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value.

b) Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

c) Income

Income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the monetary value of the incoming funds can be measured with sufficient reliability. Grant income is recognised in accordance with the terms of the grant and is included in the financial statements in the year received.

Donations are credited to income when receivable. Gift aid in respect of donations is credited to the year in which the donation was receivable.

d) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to the expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Where costs cannot be directly attributed to specific headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Value added tax is not recoverable by the charity, and as such is included as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

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e) Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes or objectives of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund.

f) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less.

g) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at their settlement amount.

h) Fixed assets

Computers are capitalised at cost and written off over their estimated useful life, four years.

2 Legal status of the company

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.

3 Income from donations and legacies

Donations
Grants		 2021
2020
£
£
19,211
1,499
14,839
-
34,050
1,499

The income from donations and grants was £34,050 (2020: £1,499) of which £19,211 was restricted (2020: £1,000) and £14,839 was unrestricted (2020: £499).

The restricted donations of £19,211 received in the year 2021 consisted of a £7,211 award from The Alchemy Foundation to support the cost of a fundraiser, and £12,000 from the Tedworth Charitable Trust which was used to pay for core costs including CEO time. The unrestricted donations were from the Joffe Charitable Trust (£15,000) plus some small donations amounting to £39, less a receivable of £200 from 2020 written off.

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4 Income from charitable activities

Network contributions – membership fees and other contributions 2021
2020
£
£
13,500
12,500
13,500
12,500

Network contributions are annual membership fees paid by member organisations of the Home-Start network and are unrestricted (2020: £12,500).

5 Costs of raising funds

Costs of raising funds 2021
2020
£
£
7,018
-
7,018
-

Costs of raising funds are the gross employment cost of an employed fundraiser and the charges from a fundraiser contractor.

6 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Consultancy charges
Conferences & subscriptions
Bank charges
Support provided for member training
costs
Staff costs
Grants and donations
IT costs (website, comms etc)
Governance costs (note 7)
Advertising and promotion
Depreciation
Sundry expenses		 2021
2021
Total
Total
Unrestricted
Restricted
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
1,500
1,500
-
410
410
221
313
313
593
-
-
2,319
12,903
12,841
25,744
5,133
-
-
1,252
683
683
607
1,094
1,094
650
940
940
-
250
250
-
354
354
73
18,447
12,841
31,288
10,848

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7 Analysis of governance costs

Insurance
Professional charges
Cost of trustee meetings
Independent examination fee		 2021
2020
£
£
295
-
339
-
-
170
460
480
1,094
650

8 Staff numbers, staff costs and trustee remuneration and expenses

Total staff costs (including fundraising staff cost of £4,188) for the year including national insurance, employer pension, were £29,931 (2020: £5,133).

The average number of employees during the year was 2 (2020: nil). During the year ended 31 December 2021 there were two part time employees (2020: one part time).

The key management personnel comprise the trustees and the Chief Executive Officer. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £25,744 (2020: £5,133).

The charity trustees were not paid nor received any other benefits from employment with the Charity in the year (2020: £nil). No reimbursements to trustees were made during the year in respect of expenses incurred by the trustees in performance of their duties (2020: £nil).

9 Fixed Assets


COST:
At 1 January 2021
Additions in the year
At 31 December 2021
DEPRECIATION:
At 1 January 2021
Charge for the period
At 31 December 2021
NET BOOK VALUE:
At 31 December 2021
At 31 December 2020		 £
-
998
998
-
250
250
748
-

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10 Cash at bank
Bank account
11 Debtors
Debtors
Prepayments
12 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade creditors
Taxation and social security
Sundry creditors and accruals		 2021
2020
£
£
76,619
68,306
76,619
68,306
2021
2020
£
£
1,432
-
1,200
419
1,432
1,619
2021
2020
£
£
720
880
-
66
540
684
1,260
1,630

13 Related party transactions

The only related party transactions in 2021 and 2020 were in respect of reimbursement of company costs which were purchased with personal funds and then reimbursed. In 2021 this amounted to £1,053.

At the end of the year there were no amounts owed to trustees in respect of reimbursed travel and subsistence expenses (2020: £nil).

14 Corporation tax

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

15 Post-balance sheet events

There are no reportable post-balance sheet events.

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16 Analysis of charitable funds

Analysis of charitable funds
Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds
Balance at Incoming Resources Balance at
1.1.2021 resources expended 31.12.2021
£ £ £ £
General fund 61,428 28,339 (21,277) 68,490
61,428 28,339 (21,277) 68,490
Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds – previous year
Balance at Incoming Resources Balance at
1.1.2020 resources expended 31.12.2020
£ £ £ £
General fund 53,144 12,999 (4,715) 61,428
53,144 12,999 (4,715) 61,428

No unrestricted funds were designated at 31 December 2021 (2020: £nil)

Analysis of movements in restricted funds

The Tedworth Charitable Trust
The Alchemy Foundation		 Balance at
1.1.2021
Incoming
resources
Resources
expended
Balance at
31.12.2021
£
£
£
£
6,867
12,000
(13,049)
5,818
-
7,211
(3,980)
3,231
6,867
19,211
(17,029)
9,049

Analysis of movements in restricted funds – previous year

Balance

The Tedworth Charitable Trust
Private donation for Uganda, including gift aid		 at
1.1.2020
Incoming
resources
Resources
expended
Balance at
31.12.2020
£
£
£
£
12,000
-
(5,133)
6,867
-
1,000
(1,000)
-
12,000
1,000
(6,133)
6,867

The balance of restricted funds as at 31 December 2021 of £9,049 (2020: £6,867) represents funds received from The Tedworth Charitable Trust and The Alchemy Foundation. These funds are to be applied towards the employment costs of a Chief Executive Officer and a Fundraiser respectively.

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